| Title | : | Paper Girls, Volume 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1632156741 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781632156747 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 144 |
| Publication | : | First published March 30, 2016 |
| Awards | : | Harvey Awards Best New Series (2016), Lincoln Award (2019), Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best New Series & Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team (for Cliff Chiang) (2016), Goodreads Choice Award Graphic Novels & Comics (2016), VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Award Adult Honor (2016) |
In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.
Collects PAPER GIRLS #1-5.
Paper Girls, Volume 1 Reviews
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i don’t know if i understood a single thing i just read but it was pretty
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Paper Madness.
Tiff, KJ and Mac deliver the newspapers in their neighborhood. This particular morning they meet Erin, the new girl, and they team up in pairs. Doing their daily route they stumble upon a strange device, and then everything goes straight to hell, maybe literally.
Loved the characters and their friendship, it feels so real. Mac kicks ass, and Erin is cool. Some very nice moments, and crazy ones too. There are a lot of things happening and I don’t understand what the hell is going on. Can’t tell the good from the bad guys. Is it still Earth? And why do I dislike the Apple logo so much now? Time will tell.
Still remaining, five more volumes, and the TV Series (2022)
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PERSONAL NOTE:
[2016] [144p] [Comic] [Recommendable, I think?]
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Locura de Diario.
Tiff, KJ y Mac entregan el periódico en su barrio. Esta particular mañana conocen a Erin, la chica nueva, y arman equipo en pares. Haciendo su ruta diaria se encuentran con un extraño dispositivo, y entonces todo se va directo al infierno, tal vez literariamente.
Amé los personajes y su amistad, se siente tan real. Mac sabe patear traseros, y Erin es copada. Algunos lindos momentos, y algunos muy locos. Hay muchas cosas sucediendo y no entiendo qué demonios está pasando. No puedo diferenciar los buenos de los malos. ¿Sigue siendo la Tierra? ¿Y por qué me desagrada tanto el logo de Apple ahora? El tiempo dirá.
Queda pendiente, cinco volúmenes más, y la Serie de TV (2022)
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NOTA PERSONAL:
[2016] [144p] [Comic] [Recomendable, ¿creo?]
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(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: It's a vibe, immersive, real, though plot's surreal, just so well-penned belief suspends, great '80s feel, old-time appeal. -
Heh. I'm a full-on idiot.
I (because reading the blurb is for losers!) thought that the title was some kind of catchy metaphorical shit. Like, they were girls whose young emotions were as thin as paper. Or instead of paper dolls they were paper girls. You know, something along those lines.
For some reason, it never occurred to me that this was about a bunch of girls with a paper route. Probably because that one chick on the cover has a cig dangling from her lips, making me think they were a tad older than your average kid on a bike tossing the Times at your porch. But since we all knew that kid in middle school who was a little more 'advanced' than the rest of us, I should've known better. My bad.
So. They're actual Paper Girls.
And now that that's out of the way, I feel I should tell you that this story doesn't have anything to do with their respective paper routes.
Nope. This is all about interdimensional time travel.
Whoo-hoo!
Or not...depending on how you feel about a middle school version of Dr. Who.
This seems to be a hit-or-miss title with my friends, and from what I can tell, it looks like most of the complaints center around all the sci-fi whatthefuckery that happens with little to no explanation. Plus, you've gotta translate some of what this one person says. I mean, the other guys sound normal, but the crazy chick that's hunting them down for unknown reasons?
Wez timetravlrs! Goona kilz yu! <--not a real quote, btw
Without any real reference point for some of this stuff, I can see how this volume might come across as too wonky and out there to enjoy. So, for those of you who didn't care for this, I can totally see where you're coming from.
But.
And here's where being a full-on idiot comes in handy: I accidentally read the 2nd volume first, so I knew where everything was headed.
Ta-da!
Can't nobody tell me being a moron don't have its advantages...
Ok, you see the tiny little 1 & 2 underneath the title on those two covers in the image below? Well, I didn't. I had both of them sitting on my kitchen table and just grabbed the one I thought was the 1st volume and headed out to the park with my girls. And while they ran around getting wet in the splash pad and falling off of the top of the playground equipment, I read a very interesting graphic novel. I mean, sure I thought it was odd that I was kinda plopped down into the middle of a story, but I assumed there would be a flashback at some point to explain. Turns out there was a flashback sequence...it was called Paper Girls: volume 1.
What I'm trying to say is that I had a distinct advantage going into this. I already knew what some of the (seemingly) nonsense stuff was leading towards, so it didn't have me scratching my head the way it did some of my friends.
Even so, this volume didn't blow my mind. I liked all the 80's references and the timey-wimey stuff, but Cliff Chang's art isn't really my jam.
*whispers*
Please don't hurt me...please don't hurt me...please don't hurt me...
He's super-talented & I know a lot of you love his style, so don't think that I'm trying to put him down as an artist. I'm not. And it doesn't make my eyes bleed to look at it or anything, but it's not something that makes me personally want to keep turning the pages just to look at the pictures.
However, since I've already read (and liked!) volume 2, I'm pretty invested in some of these characters and I'd like to see where this story takes them. -
this story was boring but the art was pretty and that's more than most stuff in life can say.
it just never grabbed me - the characters felt pretty interchangeable and the story fairly formulaic, with some random bigotry subplots attempting to enter the ring - but i might continue with the series.
just because i like looking at pretty stuff.
and that's okay.
bottom line: life is too short to not be shallow.
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tbr review
aren't all characters paper girls, in a way,
i don't even know what i'm talking about anymore. -
congratulations! semifinalist in goodreads' best graphic novels & comics category 2016!
three stars with room to grow.
while impatiently waiting for more installments of saga to come out, i decided to check out this other brian k. vaughan book, because i liked the cover, the synopsis promised me plucky girls, 80's references, and this right here is how you get my attention:
Suburban drama and supernatural mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.
all my sweet spots = accounted for.
because, yes - plucky girls:
80's references:
nostalgia (for me, anyway - this picture made my heart soften):
and there are also some pretty funny 80's-flavored dream sequences:
i'm just not hooked yet. it's no saga, that's for sure. but in a more positive light, it's actually what i thought
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy was going to be, before realizing that series was for a much younger reading age. this one has all the girl-power and female bonding and general badassery-adventure setup as Lumberjanes, but with significantly more guns, cussin' and good-natured pal-ribbin', pterodactyls, and actual danger, and it is far less p.c. because it was the 80's, my friends, and twelve-year-old internetless kids from the suburbs didn't always have access to the rich spectrum of life and they sometimes said "faggot." but if time travelers can forgive a kid for their squeamishness:
so can we. and for being set in midwestern 80's suburbia, there's some decent diversity in the characters here - there's a jewish girl and a vietnamese(?) girl and an adopted girl of indeterminate race and everyone's favorite stereotype: a chain-smoking irish-american lass, tough and redheaded and on her way to becoming a criminal just like the rest of her family! but apart from her homophobia and the cliché of her, she's pretty rad - willing to step up and throw down for her equally-fierce pack of paper girls against the most unexpected foes.
i didn't always understand what was going on, but i'm confident it will all become clearer in future volumes. i'm intrigued enough to continue with the series - i'm not in love with it, but it's got potential and i'll check back in next volume to see if it's getting there yet, if only to enjoy more 80's background details.
come to my blog! -
Heh, I thought this novel was awesome! I felt like I fell down the rabbit hole on this one 😄
It doesn't have a lot of great reviews but it was good enough for me. I loved all of the old school stuff, the graphics, Halloween night, crazy time travelers<--- or were they? Who knows at this point!
Look forward to reading more.
To be continued....
Mel ❤️ -
I needed something to take my mind off of the fact that I just finished watching all 9 seasons of The Office and Paper Girls did just that.
It’s a compelling storyline with amazing artwork that had me right from the beginning.
I was, however, confused a few times because the storyline moved a little too fast.
And I wanted more of a backstory to the characters, mainly on Mackenzie “Mac” and her group.
This graphic novel jumps right into the main plot line; monster demons invading earth on Halloween, which was interesting to read about, but after a while I just wanted to get to know the 4 main girls.
And I’m definitely interested in checking out the next volume because the very last page was incredible.
3.5 stars
ARC from Netgalley (thank you).
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Paper Girls, Vol. 1, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog. -
What the hell I’ve just read
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Reread, 6/15/21: YA Graphic Novels and Comics class, summer 2021, paired with another teen superhero/teen fantasy series opener, Ms. Marvel. Students liked it a lot.
Update, 6/19/18: Once again, re-reading for my YA GN and Comics class with a focus on kick-ass girls. In this case, 4 of them, 12 years old, who are delivering papers in the Cleveland suburb of Stony Stream on All Saints Day (the day after Halloween) when revelers in costumes can still be seen roaming the streets. . . among actual aliens! And pterodactyls. And monsters. And time travel so you can meet your future self. Too crazy, some Goodreads reviewers said, I don't know what the hell is going on! I say keep reading, relax, have fun. This is a madcap and heartfelt homage to all things eighties, especially films such as ET and Peggy Sue Gets Married and Back to the Future. My fourth reading, and now that I see what is coming, and finished the whole amazing series, I like it even more! As with any good book, most of what is coming in later volumes is right there in the beginning. But you don't know it, so just be patient.
Update, June, 2017: I reread this once again for my summer class on YA comics with a focus on girls. Having read the existing subsequent volumes, I like this crazy first volume even more than I originally did!
June, 2016: I just read this for the first time in March 2016, and reread it again for my summer YA GN class. One woman in class said she liked it better than Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1, (G. Willow Wilson version) because the girls in this story swore more. :) Oh, they all swear in Vaughn comics, I said; if that's your standard of success, read all the Vaughn! But they do feel a bit more "real" for that, I suppose. The comic is edgier than Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), in some ways: Kamala is more wholesome and idealistic than the girls in Paper Girls, but why choose, read them both, they are both fun. I liked reading it through better a second time, but I still want to know more about what is going on. I will eagerly read on as next issues comes out soon.
Initial review, 3/16: I had read the floppies for much of this first volume, but was excited to read it all in one sitting. Vaughn is a terrific writer of dialogue, clever, smart-ass, and he loves to have at least a couple (slightly) foul-mouthed characters in the mix, and sure, they sound like a lot of other Vaughn characters, but who cares, he is one of the best ever. The feel of it is great. The art by Chiang is awesome, capturing the eighties vibe. Vaughn all the way through peppers his text with fun eighties references (and I am not an eighties guy, I'm a sixties and seventies guy, but I appreciate the effort). The neon colors are wonderful, by Matt Wilson. You can see it, right, in the cover? Since it largely takes place at night it is a little darker, of course, but still amazing, award-worthy YA coloring.
It's a YA text (though some schools/libraries may have trouble with some of the bad language, but Vaughn doesn't probably necessarily think of comics as something to be read IN school, at least not this one), featuring four Cleveland (Vaughn is from Cleveland) twelve year old Paper Girls (younguns, they actually deliver papers in the wee hours of the morn, as I once did at that age, as most papers were delivered in those days, though in my day girls didn't deliver, safety issues were named as the reason, so in that sense the story is a cool fantasy). They fit very well with Kamala Kahn (Ms Marvel) and other wonderful new kick-ass girl comics in this amazing time for that. The girls are not at first read for me very distinct yet, there is very little actual character development, as this is the all out action first issue, so I expect we will slow down in volume 2 and get to know the girls a bit more.
The action earl on is ET (with kids on bicycles riding in the night at high speed, only all girls) meets Stand By Me (only, again, all girls), and this is for an older guy not SO interesting as a plot, yet. A little too crazy, a little too much, feels a little breathless on first read. But shades of Buffy, too, in all the best ways. Brian and Joss Whedon must have a grand old time socially. A new century Algonqiuin Round Table (look it up kids: Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woolcott, George S. Kauffman), with all the crackling wit.
Anyway, the action. A lot happens and very little happens on this night of all nights; it's all flash in the pan--so far. The girls proceed on this Halloween night of 1988 and meet three boys who are just sexist creeps, one of them in a Freddy Krueger costume, though more bark than bite, really. Sets up the "real" All Saints Day scare. Three ninjas. Then three aliens. Four against three, balance against imbalance. And pterodactyls. And time travel, ala Back to the Future, sort of. And the eighties refs have to keep a comin', Mask, walkie talkies instead of cell phones. And in the middle of the apocalypse, one of them says, "wait, you guys give out whole candy bars for Halloween!? What's up with that?" :) Steve Jobs and Apple come in here, though at this point it is Apple meets eighties walkie talkies.
And for the YA crowd, the action has to be over the top, but you know, it's Halloween, it has to be breathless, running through the night--is it an actual werewolf or a werewolf costume?--with everything but the kitchen sink thrown at them. But no eek screaming girly stuff, they are tough and resourceful, of course, this is 2016 comics! Girls rule!
This is my reason for four instead of five stars, or one of them, that all this pizzazz is happening, and we have no idea what is happening, and we don't really yet know much about the girls, it is all sort of whizzbang superficial in the early going. But if I were inclined to give it three stars (you have at least that for the dialogue and Chiang and color, c'mon!), I have to give it one extra star just because I know the intended audiences--1) younger folks, teens and 2) eighties folks who lived through 1988--will love it. I liked it a lot for what it is and forgive it for what it is not yet. I totally trust Vaughn to make you feel deeply and laugh a lot and resolve this with some reference to politics and human nature in satisfying plot resolution. -
While I await SAGA to come back again, I’ve decided it’s finally time to dive into Brian K Vaughn’s earlier series, Paper Girls (this was definitely inspired by
Nataliya’s amazing review of the series). And what a fantastic choice this was. Illustrated by
Cliff Chiang in lots of pinks, blues and yellows, this is an 80s extravaganza that hits the ground running into the weird and wild. If there’s one thing I love about BKV it’s that he will always catch you by surprise in some in-your-face, gritty action that flows so well with imaginative stories set in really dynamic worlds. This one happens to be our world, but a long-running cosmic war seems to have arrived and shit hits the fan right from the get-go.
You are treated to cool sights such as this!
This volume drew me in immediately and I love the characters. The 1980’s stuff is great and there is a lot of good humor going on, such as a drunk step-mom assuming the zany happenings are the result of the Rapture brought on by Dukakis running for President. Reagan shows up in a surreal dream and all the 1980s after-school teen horror film vibes are alive and well. And it’s BKV so there has already been a decent body count and unexpected violence that makes you gasp. Good stuff. There is a bit of homophobia going on—it is 1988—but there is also pushback against it, so I guess take that into consideration. That said, the dialogue in this is amazing. It's very good banter and the back-and-forth feels natural.
I think I’m going to pick up the full collection instead of doing individual volumes because I don’t want to wait and after doing SAGA chapter by chapter all year I need something to just burn through. So I’ll check back in when that happens. But if you want a series that is going to hit you in the face and hook you right away, Paper Girls is off to a fantastic start. -
While waiting for the next Saga volume to come out I thought to check out another series from Brian K. Vaughan. I enjoyed it but I don't think it is as good as the other. It was weird with different strange creatures and an attractive 80' vibe. I might continue with the series but i am in no rush to do so.
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Find all of my reviews at:
http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Boy, this one had A LOT of stuff going on. Buckle up, kids, and I’lltake you on a crazy acid tripexplain things . . . sort of.
Our story begins in the wee hours of Halloween when noob Erin is being accosted by local hooligan Freddie Krueger while attempting to complete her paper route. Luckily for Erin, the other paper girls have already hit the streets and appear just in time to save the day. Not so lucky is the first impression presented . . .
Uh. Yeah.
So anyfarts, the girls make their escape and immediately run into another problem when they make plans to divide and conquer the paper delivery. While attempting to get payback on the thugs responsible, they instead find something they really weren’t expecting . . .
Once again they narrowly get away and finally come face to face with the potential bad guys who look an awful lot like this fella when their masks are removed . . .
We then discover the key to solving the entire WTFery that has been going on might be in a tiny little device with the logo of a bitten apple on it . . .
But wait, that’s not all. No, there are DINOSAURS added to the mix next. Y’all know there’s only room in my heart for one dinosaur story . . .
(Thank you to EVERYONE who has sent me this gif. I finally had a chance to use it.)
There’s also aliens who speak some form of hipsterish Shakespearean throwback/fastforward language that had me all . .
As well as another dude who bore a striking resemblance to . . .
Not to mention the bizarre dream sequences starring folks like The Gipper . . .
Since I’m stupid it took me awhile to figure out this was a Throwback Thursday selection. I thought Mac was just a homophobic asshole with her remarks (and she was), but supposedly it was the language of the time (and sadly it was) so it was used in that one frame. Eventually with various Dukakis references and a shout-out to one of my all-time faves . . .
I was able to put two and two together. It still didn’t make this any less of a hot mess, however. I debated giving this 2 Stars but this is the dude who wrote
Saga FFS. There's no excuse for this one.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! -
TW: homophobia (+ usage of word f****t), suicide attempt
This book was just so genius. The best way I can describe it is Saga meets Stranger Things. I loved the concept of a girl squad running around to solve the world's issues. I loved the sass, the artwork, the clothing and the vibe of the entire book. I love each girl in the group for their own reasons, and I didn't find myself thinking, "wait, who is this person?" like I usually do in graphic novels. As far as a feminist graphic novel, I enjoyed this one more than Bitch Planet, which was weighted down with a lot of boring and aimless dialogue whereas I was glued onto every page of this. Because this book deals with time travel, it was so cool to see pop culture references from both our time and the 80s.
A lot of people say that the plot of this is confusing, but compared to the mindfuck that is the Saga series, I actually followed it alright. It leaves you with unanswered questions, but those should definitely (and hopefully) be resolved in later volumes which I plan to pick up.
There was a character who would make homophobic remarks, but they always went challenged by other characters. I can't wait for (and hope to see) the development and growth of this character. -
LOVED the first issue (no surprise there, first issues are a Vaughan specialty), the late 80s setting, Chiang's clean and subtle artwork, Wilson's neon-drenched coloring, the lively, primarily female cast, the snappy yet realistic dialogue – loved it all so much I got a little dizzy early on. Then came the disfigured teenagers from the future, the dinosaurs, the weird language, the Apple dude - and I got a bit confused. Which was the idea, I guess. Not yet sure how it’ll all come together, hope the time-travel angle won’t overwhelm what I love most about the story so far: its young protagonists.
It's a charming and very enjoyable first volume that brings to mind Brubaker's Deadenders and movies like Stand by Me, E.T. and Looper, but adds a feminist edge. I’m definitely on board for more! -
2020 re-read:
A little less confusing, and still very entertaining. And those colors. Love them. It's one of the very few comics of which I own the paperback. And I'm glad I do. It looks great.
Probably closer to a full four stars now.
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2018 review:
Neon-soaked 80's nostalgia, time travel and flying dinosaurs!?
Count me in!
The story is that of four paper girls experiencing some really strange things in the early hours after Halloween of 1988.
The main character, Erin, is a 12-year-old loner that only becomes acquainted with the other girls in the first few pages of this book. So there’s a little bit about the bonding between teenage girls throughout the course of this story. But mainly it is a fast-paced, action-packed ride through one hell of a night.
The kids get robbed of one of their Walkie Talkies and that’s basically enough to get the story going. Because this is the 80’s.
And also, they don’t take shit from anyone.
While they're trying to get their 80’s cellphone back, they encounter a lot of strange, uh, entities.
Like a werewolf wearing Air Jordans
Freddy Krueger
(not an actual picture from this book)
Ninjas, that are not very good at Ninja…ing
Michael Jackson
These handsome guys
Pterodactyls
Ronald Reagan
(the one on the left)
A few guys that speak Shakespeare, or whatever
Christa McAuliffe
Michael J. Fox
Okay, I made up one of the above. Okaaay, two, I made up two of them (not telling you).
Anywho, a lot of people still out on the streets. Some are harmless, some are up to no good and others are just leftovers from Halloween. Again, not telling you.
That seems to be the motto of Vaughan as well. There’s a lot of stuff happening, but very little gets explained. The reader has to be patient and wait for things to get resolved in future volumes.
Or maybe he’s actually explaining what’s going on, and it’s just me not speaking Whatsthatsupposedtomeanish.
I don’t know.
It was entertaining still and I love the style of that book. So I’m going to be patient. Well, I don’t really have to. Because the next three books are out already. In fact, I cheated and already read the second volume. So much for being patient.
Volume 1: 3.5 stars -
LOOK AT THAT BEAUTY.
SO PLEASING, SO PROMISING.
But agh.
Mr. Vaughan, I'm afraid you've set the bar way too high after Saga. While Paper Girls certainly stands out in the world of comics, with a vibrant spectacle of colours and rich atmosphere, it definitely isn't the best this man's got to offer.
Other than lack of a smooth-running plot, this story's fallout lay in its dialogue for me. And by that I mean the fact that nearly 20% of it is either in a language we don't understand or some really bad ghetto Shakespeare. I'm sure there's a translation lurking about in the interwebs somewhere but it only serves to be supremely off-putting when you're lost reading in the middle it.
Back to the roughly handled plotline. The story? Great. Not mind-blowing, not whoa-inducing, but still great. It manages to capture the quick paced, compact structure every comic books needs to win an audience, but not without its stumbles along the way. Too much infodump in too little time and what we're left with is confuddling chaos.
As for the characters? Meh. That's all they made me feel and that's all I've got to say about them. Sure, there were two or three interesting turn of events thrown at us and some insanely lush artwork to boot too (big hats off to Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson!) But in the end, these girls and this world seem just as flat as paper.
Final rating: 2.75 stars.
P.S. I'm still trying to figure out what the symbolism with all the apples and eyes is about...
_____________________________
Book song: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage The Elephant
_____________________________ -
I loved Cliff Chiang's art and characters. The main characters are 4 paper girls who don't take crap from anyone. They all have individual personalities and likenesses. The book is set during the 80's and reminds me of E.T. or Goonies. People in town are starting to disappear and strange things start occurring. The story was somewhat confusing. I didn't know what was going on for a long while.
Received an advance copy from Netgalley. -
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
So... not amazing, unfortunately. In fact the only thing I super loved about this was the illustrations.
It's a little difficult for me not to compare this to Vaughn's other ongoing series Saga, which had me hooked from the very first installment.
This was was very okay.
Vol. 1 could've benefitted from being a bit longer, providing a little more depth of plot and characterization.
I was really feeling a young, diverse female cast on an 80's science fiction adventure. I was even getting a Stranger Things vibe from it at the beginning.
But alas, there just isn't a lot of substance here.
I'll likely try out Vol. 2 before writing the series off to see if it gets its footing, but a disappointing introduction to say the least. -
4 girls get mixed up in insane time travel shenanigans after their paper route takes a weird turn the morning after Halloween…
I’ve heard of Paper Girls before from a bunch of my friends who have raved about it, but I only sat down to finally read it after enjoying the new Amazon Prime show a decent amount (which you should go watch btw because I really want a Season Two and Amazon can’t promote anything right that isn’t The Boys!!!). And I’m kinda mad I waited so long to read this thing, because this comic was pretty damn great.
I also now completely understand why some were disappointed with the budget of the first season of the show. This really is a fucking wild book that would’ve needed millions upon millions poured into it to make the adaptation as faithful as something like Sandman got.
Brian K. Vaughan’s story is confusing as hell, but not in an annoying way that makes you want to stop reading. And while the story itself is good fun, what really kept me hooked throughout were the four main characters. All of them are fucking hilarious and each has their own distinct personality. Tiffany and Mac are my favorites so far, but even Erin and KJ are likable characters.
Cliff Chiang’s art is fucking gorgeous throughout the entire book too, and Matt Wilson’s colors make it pop in the best possible way. I still prefer when Chiang colors his own stuff, but this is still some impressive work from the artistic duo. I’m also reading this in the deluxe hardcovers Image produced, and it just looks unreal all blown up.
I’m not that surprised some people are so confused about everything going on in here, but I feel like the amount of Grant Morrison I’ve read over the years has prepared me for this kind of book. Love all 4 of the main characters alot and I can’t wait to see where Vaughan and Chiang take this series in the next 5 volumes. Recommended to anyone who enjoys comics, and make sure to check out the show on Amazon Prime!! It’s wonderful!!! -
Love the illustration. Such vivid colors. Has all the late 80s vibes. Definitely Stranger Things vibes. And it's cool to know this proceeded that phenomenon.
Hoooooowever, I felt like Mac said some seriously messed up stuff in this series. And the other characters would brush it off as "That's just Mac". This is repeated so many times that it felt like the author was telling me 'you'll get used to it' and trying to make me love her despite the homophobic, misogynistic, and racist things she said.
To give context, in the first chapter, Mac says "Cool costume, f*ggot" which was immediately a red flag for me. She followed it up with "You heard me, AIDs patient. Get lost." I just don't understand how I am expected to not only be okay with that but to then fall in love with this character.
I get it, she's queer. But that doesn't make any of what she's doing or saying okay. And the fact that the other characters don't acknowledge how atrocious her verbage is is appalling to me. I get that it's 1988 but you're writing this book in 2015. There's no excuse for this language and behaviour.
ALSO, I have no idea what the hell is going on. This sci-fi-ness had me up down and all around. I'm confused and not liking my ride with this book. Will continue to see if I like it more. But I'm hesitant. -
4ish stars.
A cool first volume, not at all what I expected, but in a good way. The plot is honestly kind of wacky. Weird dinosaurs and time/space travelers, maybe? I honestly didn't know what was going on like 60% of the time, but strangely it didn't bug me... There's a Stranger Things vibe with the 80s setting and the kid protagonists.
The Paper Girls themselves are awfully mature for their what- 12ish years? I had a hard time buying their ages. Maybe I'm just out of touch with the young 'uns these days. I did like all of them, though, especially Erin, and I like each of their artistic representations. I feel like, characteristically, they'll grow and deepen as the series continues.
I really like Chiang's art. It isn't mind-blowingly gorgeous or incredibly detailed and it's unfair to compare it to that of Fiona Staples who does the art for Vaughan's other incredibly popular series, Saga. But it does a great job telling the story. It's consistent throughout which, despite what one might think, is pretty rare in most graphic novels. I never became confused by the art and for that, I think it's great. Matt Wilson, the colorist, does a spectacular job, particularly with gradiating the colors of the sky. He has a great sense of lighting and I love the color palette.
Definitely going to keep going with the series.
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library -
Enamorado estoy. Enamorado.
Me topé por pura casualidad con las aventuras de este grupo de chicas y tuve que comprar el primer volumen. Ahora mismo necesito el segundo, ¡es que vaya final! Si os gustó Stranger Things y os mola el rollo urban fantasy con mucha ciencia ficción es perfecto.
No quiero desvelar muchos detalles de la trama porque hay muchos giros y sería spoiler, pero quiero comentar brevemente que las protagonistas son maravillosas y la dinámica de grupo que tienen hace que esta historia sea diferente. Se nota que se van a tratar más adelante temas muy interesantes y el factor nostalgia está muy bien utilizado ya que juega mucho con referencias del presente. Algo maravilloso, vamos.
La recomiendo muchísimo, muchísimo. La historia engancha y es una aventura que vives con ellas <3 -
Err...Ugh and stuff?
Was this really written by the same guy who created
Saga? Not that I'm a deliriously hysterical Saga fan or anything (yes, that's another series I read wrong), but I kinda sorta expected more from this because of Brian Vaughan's involvement. What more was I expecting, you ask? Well more maturity, for one. Okay, so the fact that this is called Paper GIRLS as opposed to um, you know, Paper WOMEN, should kinda sorta have clued me in as to the age of the characters. But it didn't, so it didn't. A slightly clueless shrimp is me and stuff. Note to self: blurbs from now on you shall read, before graphic novels you shall buy.
Anything else? Err...No? Apart from despicably young, meh characters, that is. And a super meh story. And a super super meh 80s setting. And super super super meh dialogues. And super super super super meh everything. But hey, it's not ALL bad and meh and stuff! Oh no, it's not! And thank fish for that! It's also super super super super super flat and unemotional and oh-wow-I-really-couldn't-care-less and stuff! Yay and stuff!
➽ And the moral of this My Moral Making Factory is Presently on Strike and So Am I Life Sucks and Stuff Crappy Non Review (MMMFiPoSaSAILSaSCNR™) is: Bye now. Also: you are quite welcome, my Flimsy Decapods. And stuff. -
Four great characters, each of them a mere 12 years old... the 'last' of the papergirls (set i the 1990s?) as we head into the digital world. It's Halloween and the four papergirls work together, for safety in numbers. Something significant but undefined changes their reality! This change and the outcomes it causes shape this volume but I was given no real idea of how, or what actually happened! The series is very grey on what it is actually about; even though this is a mystery sci-fi, this undefined story makes the series just more mysterious, especially as the art doesn't really help tell the story either! But from the man that gave us
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned,
Runaways: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 and
Saga, Vol. 1... we live in hope... real hope, of much better to come :) 7/12 -
3.5 terestial ⭐⭐⭐
November 1, 1988….the morning of Hell. Before sunrise, the paper girls are on their bikes armed with the Cleveland Paper out for delivery. Under ordinary circumstances, these girls aren’t to be messed with. Cigarette smoking, hockey sticks at the ready and equipped with flashlights, these bad-ass girls mouth off to the rowdiest street suspects, and almost defy the law…U N T I L the discovery of some alien capsule changes their fateful morning and culminates into a clash with zombies, dinosaur birds and other sh.. never heard off.
Between wound eating bugs and other alienware, the girls find themselves in strange surroundings that the capsule may have created and they are thrown into the midst of a whole new timeline.
***
Sassy, witty, badass…what is not to like? In parts weird and creepy, it’s like Christmas crack you can’t stop until the end. And it is a cliffhanger, leading to book 2.
I liked it. A little nostalgia there for me, as I remember my paper route when I was 12. But every now and then I need that something, something that stretches normalcy out of proportions. I recommend! 😊 -
3.5/5 a very quick read :))
LOVE the illustrations and the colouring is EVERYTHING. also very intrigued about the story, but i am a bit confused ngl 🤔 -
Not as confusing as I expected it to be. Pretty interesting, actually. Now I hope this series won't be so long that it loses my interest after a couple of volumes.
-
Small town America, 1988, and it’s the very early morning after Halloween. Four newspaper girls out delivering see black hooded figures skulking around the neighbourhood and discover a flying saucer in a basement. Then everyone disappears like it’s the goldurn Rapture and pterodactyls are appearing in the skies! Did someone say armour-wearing Rastafarians? And look - a flying ball of stuff that makes you relive your entire life! Makes sense to me! Wait, what’s going on again…?
Brian K. Vaughan returns to his comfort zone writing a comic about sassy teens spouting clever dialogue and joining him for the ride is Cliff Chiang, fresh from his celebrated run on Wonder Woman with writer Brian Azzarello. So was Paper Girls any good? Nope! Vaughan can write convincing dialogue for young characters but places them within a nonsensical plot that’s all over the shop.
This is a time-travel story that’s also an aliens invade story that’s also an ‘80s nostalgia trip (boy am I fucking sick of those - up yours, Ernest Cline!). Our four main characters stumble through the book not really knowing what they’re supposed to do, bemused the entire time by everything, just like the reader is! I guess it’s setup for… something… and I suppose it’s meant to be… fun? I was annoyed primarily, sleepy the rest of the time.
Cliff Chiang’s art is good – he sure knows how to draw! - and Matt Wilson’s colours make them pages look right nice and stuff. I didn’t have a problem with the art, it was perfectly fine. Did I loves it though? Eh…
Everything else? Bah, I didn’t care about the paper-thin story that didn’t know what it wanted to be. Vaughan’s very hit and miss with me and Paper Girls definitely falls in the miss category. Check out his new (and free!) digital series, Barrier, on his Panel Syndicate site instead - Paper Girls is toilet paper! -
"Why is God letting this happen to me?"
I loved Paper Girls. Not as fantastic as Saga, way more intruiging than Ex Machina, this graphic novel is a stunning work of art.
I can't really believe that our paper girls are 12 years old (they look at least 14, possibly 16), but apart from that I enjoyed the story. Can't wait to see more.
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